Enforcement

For more than two years, advocates have decried Texas SB 4 (2023), a law that creates new state offenses of illegal entry, reentry, and failure to comply with a state removal order. As of May 29, 2026, the law is fully in effect, bringing all Texans and those suspected of being undocumented under the permanent threat of immediate detention and deportation by the state, should they be suspected of violating the law. Texas SB 4 represents an unheard-of state usurpation of federal law, violating constitutional principles and norms that govern how states interact with the federal government. This policy brief breaks down the law and shares how communities can best prepare for a world with Texas SB 4 on the books.

As 287(g) agreements rapidly expand across the country, more law enforcement agencies are being radically transformed into a sweeping immigration enforcement machine. Police agencies are choosing to enter into the most expansive and harmful 287(g) agreement available, the Task Force Model. This policy brief provides a breakdown of the Task Force Model and how it provides carte blanche for rampant racial profiling, unbridled civil rights abuses, and little to no federal oversight.

Shortly after the Trump administration took office in 2025, the government began its directives to ramp up immigration raids and public operations across the country. These large-scale campaigns of mass deportation further exploded after the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, or H.R. 1, ballooned the DHS budget to an astronomical $170,700,000,000 of taxpayer dollars over the next four years; creating a new annual ICE budget that is larger than the entire defense budgets of Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Switzerland.

This step-by-step guide will walk you through the steps for filing your first petition for habeas corpus (immigration) in the Northern District of California.

This explainer offers information for both noncitizens and U.S. citizens about the possible impacts of their social media online presence.

This step-by-step guide will walk you through the steps for filing your first petition for habeas corpus (immigration) in the Eastern District of California.

When an immigration judge denies bond based on a finding that a person is a danger to the community or a flight risk, what options remain to challenge that decision? As immigration detention expands and bond denials become increasingly common, federal court litigation is emerging as a critical tool to obtain judicial review of these determinations.

This practice advisory is Part I of a two-part advisory on civil fines and civil penalties instituted by DHS against noncitizens. Part I discusses the procedures for instituting a fine and recommendations for contesting and appealing a civil fine instituted by DHS. Part II will discuss statutory and Constitutional arguments and defenses against the issuance of fines.

This brief spotlights legislative activity in Texas and Florida, it also covers a non-exhaustive list of other states that have recently enacted a patchwork of anti-immigrant laws and policies seeking to harm and hinder immigrant communities and their allies.

From October 3-7, 2025, Goodwin Simon Strategic Research surveyed a statewide representative sample of 1,213 registered voters. The poll explored voter attitudes towards mass deportation, recent ICE actions, and sanctuary protections in the state. Uniquely, this poll explores key themes that may be driving Californians’ growing disapproval of mass deportation, including revealing voters’ strong support for due process, including for people with past records, and equal treatment in the legal system, regardless of immigration status. Voters also expressed deep concern with the cost of the Trump administration’s approach to immigration on taxpayers.